Chris Crawford created the game. On the Mac, it was really a great game for the time (1985), and I'm not sure I ever managed to win. (Blowing up the world or lo

Chris Crawford created the game. On the Mac, it was really a great game for the time (1985), and I'm not sure I ever managed to win. (Blowing up the world or losing to the Soviet Union tended to be much more likely outcomes given my incompetence at playing brinksmanship.) I liked it because it was probably the first turn-based game I played that really made great use of Mac graphics featuring great interactive maps and mock newspaper headlines summarizing the reaction to actions, along with a frustratingly tough AI opponent. Crawford was of an era where the interesting games were much more about teaching and conveying the designer's worldview, and less about creating Skinner boxes for maximizing IAP or expansion pack sales, or franchises. The reason the missiles would always fly had a lot to do with the fact that as a player, you had to really view it not as a confrontational game, but as a cooperative game (with the AI) where mutually assured survival meant concessions were more important than aggression. This is pretty much antithetical to the conditioning in every other game of playing to win. Some good history on the game here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_Power_(video_game) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_Power_(video_game)